Metabolizer.



N0. 891,176. PATENTED JUNE 16, 1908.

J. VON DER KAMMER.

' METABOLIZER.

PIL ATION FILEI) APB.. 1 o A m 7 9 8 3 SHEETS-SIIEET 1.

N0. 891,176. PATENTED JUNE 16, 1908, J. VON DER KAMMER.

PATENTED JUNI-1 16, 1908.

3 SHEETS-SHEEI. 3.

J. VON DER KAMMER.

METABOLIZER.

APPLIOATION FILM) APB. 7.190s.

Wiki man:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN VON DER KAMMER, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRIGT CF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR T0 BERTHA VON DER KAMMER, O1 WASHINGTON, DISTRIOT OF COLUMBIA.

METAIBOLIZER.

Patented. June 16, 1908.

T0 all whom z't may concem:

Be it known that I, JOHN VON DER. KAM- BIER, citize n of the United Staates, residing at Washington, District of Columbia, l1ave invented certain new and useful Improvemcnts in Metabolizers, of which the following is a speciiication.

My invention relates to an improved means for the metabolism of vegetable seeds and the artificial growth of plants therelron1 without soil, to the extent of lateral root formation and stem develo ment thereon, and to a condition of growt commonly known as secdlings. Young plants so developed and With the endosperm still attached constitute a very valuable food both for man as well as for domestic animals, the dry com- Eoi1ents of the dormant sced being changed such metabolism and growth, and the P ants when eaten enter the digestive organs 111 aqueous and assimilable live-plant f017m resulting in improvkad digestion and increased nut1ition and correspondingly enhanced l1ealth. The feeding of such plants as stock' food for animals also roduces a marked improvement in the qua ity of the meat, as well as other anin1al food products.

As the resu lt of my ex eriments I have found that the metabolism ot seed and the growth of lants therefrom may be accomplished wit out soil in an inclosure in which the presence and action of atmospheric air is restr1cted and suppressed, and the seed practically surrounded by an anaerobic atm'osphere in conjunction With artificial nutrition. I have also found that if such an anaerobic atmosphere is maintained and the 'usual nutritive salts are available, bacteria of an anaerobic character originate from the seed coats and develop and multiplyon the organic matter oozing fron1 the see how'ever, thrive better if additional organic matter issupplied, such organisms serving to prevent fermentation and toxicity of the growing mass of seed. I have also found that if such an anaerobic atmosphem is maintained and the usual nutritive salts and organic matter are avafiable in the growing chamber, nitrogen fixing bacteria 01' fungi when inserted in the cha mber multiply therein and aid in the nutrit1oh 01 the growing plants, if gases of a nitrogen character, 01 in combination with }ther gases or artificial fertilizing solutions, are also added or made available. The young plants so produced itself. The bacteria may, if desired, be planted in the ground where they Will continue to gr'ow in a natural manner, or they may be used in their then condition as food for human beings o1 for stock, or may be canned for future use as in the well known manner used in canning vegetables.

l do not aim to provide specific soil bacteria for performing specific actions or results, but subject the seeds to the bacteria fiora of a fertile soil such as Will thrive in an artificial cultu're under anaerobic conditions.

Describing the culture of the bacteria, I dissolve two hundred gr. potassium hosphate in ten thousand C. C. water into which is stified one hundred and fifty gr. calcium carbonate and the entire liquid is siphoned ofl' after settling. Into this I put two hundred gr. of dextrosc and five hundred gr. of an extraction from a mixture of. germinated seeds, preferably wheat, corn and vetches Which has been filtered and sterilized. All of this is ut into a vessel having an air tight cover and preferably of stone-ware, as glass 01 metal vessels are not Well suited for the urpose. In the meantime an extraction cf lack.pastuye.soil has been prepared in the follow1ng manncr: To approx1mately two gallons of water I add enough of the black pasture soil to makIefsemi-liquid mass. After twenty-four hours I decant"tl water and allow it to precipitate when it is conveyed into a tightly covered ves'sel, when it is ready for use. I have found that the bacteria ob tained f1om black pasture soil is well adapted for my purpose, the anaerobic conditions surrounding the bacteria in this character of soil more closely approximating the conditions to which such bacteria are to be subj ected in the apparatus which I employ. The extraction so prepared is then added to the previous liquids and the entire mixture is then made neutral, preferably slightly alkaline, by adding a suflicient amount of an extraction of Wood ashes. The liquid is then placed in a tightly covered vessel, and remains therein fo1 about four days in a temperature of about 35 C. In about fou1 days the liquid becomes turbid, which shows the degree of development cf the miCro-organisms; in the general practice, especially in large plants, the operator will be guided by the turbidness of the liquid in bis operations. F01 each new batch of grain a supply of this liquid is put in the tray-like depressions of the apparatus, b1it the waste li uids frori1 carbonategf-limeand 'eommercia fertilizers whic culture containing extracts 0 containjng soluble potassium, free phosphoric acid-and nitrogen, also neutralized by an extract of wood-ashes and which is put into a tank holding water at a proportion of one art of liquid to five thousa'ndof Water, means the combined weight of the dissolved chemicals t0 the weight 0f the water.

The eondition of the miero-organisme which indicates that for one reason or another they have become s oiled is shown by a slimy touch of the see In such ease a new carefully prepared culture must be obtained and the apparatus thoroughly eleaned.

A microscopical examination of the organisms shows from round te rod-like ramifying bodies arranged in diflerent formations and grou s and among which can be detected we]l own specific forms, but to Which in my raetice I do not pay specific attentioh.

T e main p ose of the use of the microorgam'smsand t e chemical means employed b me is the accomplishing of the proteolysis othe seed, whieh result I have found to be thereby effectet1 Cultures f bacteria of divers deseription, and for the purpose of inoeulating seed of the legumes, or the soil in whieh they are to be planted, are now distributedby agricultural mstitutions and are sold in the market as merchandise and which in a further' culture under anaerobic conditions, esgwcially in a seed, as I have set forth, may be usefully cmplo ed in connection with my apparatus.

I have designed a metabolizer constructed 0f non-porous, non-absorbent material, to prevent the formation therein of malign organisms o1 the absorbing ofm9isture thereby, and of a material which will not be aifected by nor affect the gases and ehemical solu tions emplolyed by me in the metabolizing of the seeds p aced therein. As the anaerobic* conditions within the structure would prevent an attendant entering the ame, I have constrcted a metabolizer whieh can be attended to and taken eare of from without, and which consists preferably of a plurality of anaerobic growing chambers arranged in series, one above the other.

In my preferred construction, as shewn in the accompanying drawings, all the anaerobic inclosures join w1th one singlegas chamber for the u ose of ex diency.

The ui -ti ht bas1n in the bottom of the inclosure hol germinated the nutritive solutions and sustains the degree of moisture necessary for l seed is suflicient.

or soaked for any length of time, as this would cause the loss of the bacteria from the seed coats and the organic matter on whieh they multiply. The gas chamber serves for holdlng the gases, whichmay be furnished from a reservoiror gas-bag from withot the chamber or may evaporate from liquids,

which may be put in receptacles on the bottom of the gas chamber, or.i n very large metabolizers, the lower or any other removable seed holder may contam an ordinary vessel holding suflicient material for generating gas. The gas which Iem loy is free nitrogen er in combination wit traees of other gases as they appear in the productiori of same, and which are produced in any de sired manner.

Oxygen absorbent materil such as pyrogallic acid in an alkaline solution ma be ut 111 vessels and hung up in the gas c am er,

but ir' the apparatus is constructed as s ecified and the seed dra'wers are tightly c osed I have found this expedient unnecessary.

It will be understood that while the seeds should be kept in a moist condition the anaerobi0 atmosphere in the chambers should be comparatively dry, that is to say, not laden w1th water vapors to such an extent as to cause the seeds to become water logged.

A single metabolizer unit would comyrise an anaerobie inclosure or ehamber havmg a fluid-tight basin in its b0ttom and a seed riaceptacle and a gas chamber;

Referfing' to the drawings wherein I show the preferred form of m invention and wherein the same p art is esignated by the saine reference numeral wherever it oceurs,

Figure 1 is a neutral cross seetion of the referred form of my invention taken on ine l, 1'0f Fig. 2; F1g. 2 is a top view partly broken away; Fig. 3 is a front elevation partly broken away; Fig. 4 is a plan view of a drawer and its su pgort With the draw er in its 0 en 01' partly w1t drawn po'sition; Fig. 5 detail sectional view showing a modification and Fig. 6 is a view similar tol 5, showing, however, a slightl diiferent orm of construction from that ustrated in Fig.

5; Fig. 7 is a detail persg:active view of theform of drawer support s own in Fig. 6.

1, 1 are a pair of side plates preferably I formed of soapstone or other non-porous material, and 2, 2 a1e a pairof interioi plates simila1 to the side lates 1. These glates are tied together and eld in parallel re ation by means of the rode, 3, 3 passing throgh the plates at top and bottom and secured to the plates by means 0f the nuts 4 working on the rods.

Between the plates 2 are secured a series o f drawer supports 5 which are substantially rectangular in shape and provided with the oentral depression 6, preferably rectangular .in form, as best'shown1n Fig. 7.

' tom formed of wire ganze o1 other retioulated material. -The supports 5 and the side 11 of the drawers are also preferably formed of soapstone. y

The drawer supports 5 in tho form of construction shown m Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive and as best shown in Fig. 3, are st1p orted in osition by cutting grooves 12 in t e sides 01 the plates 1 and 2 into which the.edges of the supports enter. A draw-oif pi e 13 having a stop eock 14 extends through t e front side of the support and enters the bottom of the deression 6, whereby should there be too much ii uid in the depression the same can be withdrawn. The plates 1 and 2 forming a single drawer cabinet are extended at their rear ends and cut away as shown at 16. Two of these cabinets similarly constructed are then placed back to back and the projecting edgos of the lates 1 and 2 seoured together b? means of t e bolts 17, thus forming a comp ete rectangular oabinet having a space between the inner ends of the drawers of the oppositely disposed sections.

18 are the cover plates, one of whioh extends over each of the 0 positely disposed sections and the space 19 etween the inner ends of the sections so closed by a 'plate 20, so that the top of the apparatus is air-tight. Extending down through the plate 20 and down into the space 19 1s a pipe 21 provided With a valve 22 at its upper end, to which is suitably connected a gas oontaining devioe 23, whioh is shown in the form of a bag, though it is to be understood that 'any other form of gas container may be substituted therefor. The pipe 21 extends down nearly to the bottom 01 the spaoe 19 and in the bot tom of the space I have shown a trough 24 which, if desired, may contain gas-producing liquid to augment the gas supplied by the pipe 19. It Will of course be understood that gas may be supplied by the pipe19 alone or from liquid in the trough 24 alone, 01 one may be used to supplement the other. As is best shown in Fig. 1, the baoks of the drawers do not extend up so as to contact with the surface of the support for the drawer above,

but there is a space 24 left through whioh the gas can 1eadily ass from the space 19 into the drawers and over the mass of material being sprouted.

In the upper portion of the space 19 I have shown a container or trough 25 in which a suitable oxy en absorbent, such as pyrogallioacid in an a kaline solution may be placed, in order t o take up any oxygen which might otherwise leak into the apparatus.

In Figs. 5 and 6 I have shown a modificaupon pro'ecting brackets 29 secured in the sides of t e side lates, these brackets projectinginto suitale cut away corners 30 of the drawer supports.

In the operation of my device the drawers are filled with a layer of the seeds, tubers o1 bulbs 130 be treated, the mass to be metabolized resting upon the retioulated bottoms 10 of the drawers. The front of the drawers fit tightly between the drawer supports so as 130 olose the front of the casing. Sufficient moisture is sprinkled upon the mass. Gas suitable for assisting the process is nowintroduced through the pipes 21 passing into the space 19, und from thence through the o en1ngs 24 over the mass of material,

henever there is more moistre than is neoessary in the depression 6 of the drawer supports it can readily be withdrawn through the pipes 14.

I realize that considerable variation is possible in the details of construction and arrangement' of parts without de arting from the spirit of my invention, an I therefore do not intend to limit myself to the speoifio form shown and described.

I claim:

1. A metabolizer for the artifioial 'development of plant life from seed, comprising an anaerobio ohamber, means therein for holding the seed, and means therein for holding the nutrient media.

2. In a metabolizer for the artifical development of plant life from seed, the combination with a chamber closed against the outer atmos here, of means therein for holding the see means th rein for holding the nutrient media, and means for supplying an anaerobie gas to said chamber.

3. A metabolizer, comprising an anaerobio chamber having a tray-like depression in its bottom, and a removable seed holder adapted.to be inserted in said chamber and supported over said depression.

4. A metabolizer comprising an anaerobic chamber formed -from nonorous, non-absorbent material, a remova leseed holder having a reticulated bottom and adapted to be inserted in said ohamber and supported above the bottom thereof, and a compartment below said seed holder 130 oontain water 01' other seed nutrient.

5. A metabolizer built in sections and from non-porous, non-absorbent material, eaoh section containing a series of anaerobic chambers and each having an open back, means for s'eouring said section in back-toback relation whereby an opem'ng is left between the two.

6. Inametabolizer builtu of non-porous,

non-absorbent material and orming a series 5' 0f anaerobic chambers auch having a tray.

like depression in its bottom, drawers having reticula.ted bottoms for recei the material to be treated und adapte to be inserted in such chambers und sup orte'd 10 therein and over said depressibns, w ereby said tray-like depressions beneath 5sbid' JOHN VON DER KAMMER.

Witnesses:

Fmnc1s M. Pnm.rs, E. L. Wmm. 

